Improve Diet of 20 Guatemalan Families

The Chumanzana Women’s group members are now able to multiply the fruit tees  they already have for family and for profit.  Maria  was very happy to learn this new skill - graphing a peach tree.  She said it was a very simple to do.  She had never seen this method before.  She said that now that she has learned how, she plans to do many graphs on the apple, avocado, peach,and plum trees she has on her land.  She can use what she learned to produce seedlings of the different fruit trees to sell, bringing in more needed income for her family.  She thanks YOU, the supporters of the Kateri Fund, for providing activities like this, which help break the cycle of poverty.  She was very happy to participate with the other women  in this activity.

Candelaria Sut, manager of the program, arranged the workshop in which the women learned how to graph different kinds of fruit trees, especially by layer graphing.  This is graphing in the branch of a tree.  The women did their graphing in the branch of a peach tree.  First, they peeled one centimeter of the bark of the branch where they wanted to make the graph. Second, they put a coconut shell over the place where they had peeled the bark, covered it with nylon, and tied it tightly with string so that the roots will begin to grow there.  The roots appear in about 40 days.  When the roots are ready, they will take off the coconut shell, cut off the branch, and transplant it into the ground or a large pot.  This type of graph is very effective because the branch where the graft is made does not die and continues to live and produce peaches.

Simple activities like this give the woman another way to provide food for their family and to add to their income by producing things to sell to their neighbors.  It is a benefit to the whole community.   It fulfills our motto of Everything is possible with a little help from a FRIEND!  Thank you for being a FRIEND.

Candelaria has plans in place for the Chumanzana program for 2019. She has interviewed the women and found out what they would like to learn.  They already have their organic gardens established and on-going.  They have learned to grow mushrooms to add to their diet.  Now they want to learn other ways to improve their diet.  At their direction, she has arranged workshops in grafting for fruit trees, making marmelade, and making baskets.  She will continue to follow up on the established projects in organic gardening and mushroom production. That way she will be able to provide support if any of the women run into difficulties. She will be aided by Josefa who attended workshops at Mesoamerican Permaculture Institute (IMAP) in 2018.  All in all,  it looks as if Candelaria has a productive year planned.